Guest Blog - Chianti Chicken by Brian Sparks

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Guest Blog by Brian Sparks aka "Sparky"
Brian has been a dear family friend for longer than I wish to say! (Don't want to age myself too much!) I hope you enjoy this recipe that he was so gracious to share. Sounds like a winner to me and I can't wait to cook it up! Enjoy! And make sure you do as he says and "finish that bottle"!!!

Chianti Chicken – A great dish to make as an excuse to drink.
When Erin sent out the call for recipes to include on her blog, I immediately asked my wife, "What's the best dis you think I make?" I wasn't surprised when her answer was indeed what I was already thinking..."Chicken Chianti!"

Now, I love making this dish, because not only is it easy to make, it’s a great excuse to drink a bottle of Chianti while you make the dish….and then open up another bottle of whatever you want to drink during dinner. Any dish that requires wine as one of its ingredients is a dish that’s begging to be made.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
2 garlic cloves (crushed or chopped)
A few sprigs of thyme (chopped)
2 large or 4 medium size chicken breast halves (use bone-in for best flavor)
1 medium/large red onion (depends on how much onion you like)
3 tablespoons of tomato pesto (if you can’t find this, just get regular pesto and combine together(1 to 1) with some sun dried tomato paste
1 ¼ cups of Chianti (leave the remaining chianti for you to drink)
1 ¼ cups of water
1 bunch of seedless red grapes (with ¾ of them cut in half)
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Arugula leaves (if desired)

Directions:        

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil into a large pan and add the chicken breast, garlic, and thyme.

 Sauté over over medium heat for 5 minutes until each side is golden brown.

Remove the chicken and place on a separate plate for now. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into the same pan. Cut the onion in half and create thin wedges. Add the onion wedges and pesto into the pan.

Cook gently and stir constantly for about 3 minutes until onion is soft but not browned.

 

Add the Chianti and water to the pan and bring to a boil.

Place the chicken back into the pan, reduce the heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and cover the pan. Simmer for about 20 minutes while stirring occasionally until chicken is tender and cooked through.

Add the grapes to the pan and cook over low heat until heated through. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot. If you wish to balance the “sweetness” of the dish, you can always garnish with some arugula leaves to add some bitterness.

That’s It! Enjoy…and make sure you finish that bottle.